Would a 2nd Melbourne team add value to the NRL?

[Steel Saints]

Team 22 could be either Adelaide or Melb 2. However Melb 2 should not play out of AAMI Park. Not sure if Hindmarsh for Adelaide is the answer either.

 

[AdelaideSharky]

Team 22 could be either Adelaide or Melb 2. However Melb 2 should not play out of AAMI Park. Not sure if Hindmarsh for Adelaide is the answer either.

Hindmarsh capacity wise is perfect but the ground itself is too small.

If one casts their minds back to 2009 when the Sharks played Canterbury at the ground, the in-goals were far too short as the ground's main tenant is the Adelaide United soccer team.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Team 22 could be either Adelaide or Melb 2. However Melb 2 should not play out of AAMI Park. Not sure if Hindmarsh for Adelaide is the answer either.

Where would you want them to play though? AAMI is perfect for RL and very well located

 

[Wb1234]

No

But maybe 50 years down the track Geelong

But only after chch, Wellington, Ipswich, Adelaide, Fiji and Hawaii

 

[Vlad59]

Melbourne/Victoria shouldn't be considered for a second team until they are producing junior players and have local competitions at a level which is comparable to other NRL clubs.

‘Road to AAMI Park’: The secret to Storm program that’s key to rugby league exploding in Victoria

‘That’s rubbish’: Secret to the Storm program that has rugby league exploding in Victoria

www.foxsports.com.au

well they kind of are already. But I don’t that’s an argument for a second team for at least a decade. Need to consolidate a lot more before even considering that.

 

[James Rick]

Would a Geelong based team need a new stadium?

 

[Pippen94]

No

But maybe 50 years down the track Geelong

But only after chch, Wellington, Ipswich, Adelaide, Fiji and Hawaii

Population of Melbourne will be well over ten million then. That's only place that makes sense.

 

[flippikat]

The original ARLC looked at a second team & it pops up every few years so it's obviously been bubbling away for a while.

To keep it simple: In a 24 club comp, sure, but that's literally decades away.
If it's 20 or 22 clubs then who misses out from Adelaide, BNE3 and NZ2?

Aside from that Melbourne isn't the sporting Mecca the Herald Sun claims it is. We can look at the A-League to see why it could be an issue.

For 22 clubs you just need to take the current 17 plus Perth Bears & PNG (19) - then add Adelaide, BNE3 & NZ2 as you said.. and we'd have a footprint thats set for some time - and the two closest rivals to the Storm geographically would be Canberra Raiders & Adelaide.

I imagine a Melbourne v Adelaide rivalry in the NRL could be interesting - sadly we only saw a year of it in 1998, so it never had the chance to develop then.

 

[cinders7]

For 22 clubs you just need to take the current 17 plus Perth Bears & PNG (19) - then add Adelaide, BNE3 & NZ2 as you said.. and we'd have a footprint thats set for some time - and the two closest rivals to the Storm geographically would be Canberra Raiders & Adelaide.

I imagine a Melbourne v Adelaide rivalry in the NRL could be interesting - sadly we only saw a year of it in 1998, so it never had the chance to develop then.

Agreed, it'd be the ideal and I'd love to see it eventuate sooner rather than later.

Further down the track if they ever went to 24 we might see QLD6/Vic2 and NZ3. With that many non-Sydney teams they could reasonably look at divisions.

However we never know what'll happen, a few years ago most of us would've said Perth/NZ2/BNE3 would be a lock to take us to 20 but then PNG jumped ahead.

 

[Steel Saints]

Where would you want them to play though? AAMI is perfect for RL and very well located

The concern I have is we end up with Victory v City scenario, where City ate into Victorys support base. Would a second Melbourne team do that to the Storm?

Brisbane is different because it's mad about league. Although a 3rd Brisbane team should not play out of Suncorp. When Souths finally move to Allianz to share with the Roosters, that is different again due to historical rivalry.

Not sure with regards to another location in Melbourne though.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

The concern I have is we end up with Victory v City scenario, where City ate into Victorys support base. Would a second Melbourne team do that to the Storm?

Brisbane is different because it's mad about league. Although a 3rd Brisbane team should not play out of Suncorp. When Souths finally move to Allianz to share with the Roosters, that is different again due to historical rivalry.

Not sure with regards to another location in Melbourne though.

I completely agree with this. One advantage RL has is that it's the only football club in Victoria that the whole state can get behind if they choose to.

AFL loyalties are split between clubs and the Vic Origin side doesn't play anymore. Soccer has three teams and Union is gone.

I think we just leave the storm alone and let them slowly turn into a massive club that can unite Victorians from a sporting perspective. Even if they are averaging 40/50k in 30 years time... Happy days.

 

[Pippen94]

The concern I have is we end up with Victory v City scenario, where City ate into Victorys support base. Would a second Melbourne team do that to the Storm?

Brisbane is different because it's mad about league. Although a 3rd Brisbane team should not play out of Suncorp. When Souths finally move to Allianz to share with the Roosters, that is different again due to historical rivalry.

Not sure with regards to another location in Melbourne though.

When did city eat into victory's fanbase?! City struggled for fans but victory remained strong.

 

[flippikat]

Agreed, it'd be the ideal and I'd love to see it eventuate sooner rather than later.

Further down the track if they ever went to 24 we might see QLD6/Vic2 and NZ3. With that many non-Sydney teams they could reasonably look at divisions.

The current 19 planned teams (including Perth & PNG soon), then...

20 - NZ 2 (Christchurch, in the new Te Kaha/One NZ Stadium - takes it to NZ rugby & gives the Broncos/Dolphins/Titans to prepare for.....)

21 - Brisbane 3 (likely Western Corridor, but can't discount chance of Brisbane Easts)
22 - Adelaide

23 - NZ 3 (Wellington)
24 - wide open. Could be another Brisbane team, could be something like Central Queensland, could be Victoria... heck, even Fiji. Can't discount the possibility that PNG may fold by the time we get to this phase of expansion, so that might influence things here too.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

The current 19 planned teams (including Perth & PNG soon), then...

20 - NZ 2 (Christchurch, in the new Te Kaha/One NZ Stadium - takes it to NZ rugby & gives the Broncos/Dolphins/Titans to prepare for.....)

21 - Brisbane 3 (likely Western Corridor, but can't discount chance of Brisbane Easts)
22 - Adelaide

23 - NZ 3 (Wellington)
24 - wide open. Could be another Brisbane team, could be something like Central Queensland, could be Victoria... heck, even Fiji. Can't discount the possibility that PNG may fold by the time we get to this phase of expansion, so that might influence things here too.

You got 20 and 21 around the wrong way

 

[flippikat]

You got 20 and 21 around the wrong way

Either way, that's my ideal roadmap to a 24 team competition that dominates Australasian winter sport.